


There Was Only One...

by AgentOfShip



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fitzsimmons AU, Huddling For Warmth, Meet-Cute, Sharing a Bed, Snowed In, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, and the power is out, watching the stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21793600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentOfShip/pseuds/AgentOfShip
Summary: Jemma Simmons has the perfect weekend planned. Getting away from London and her ex to watch the spectacular Geminid meteor shower and reconnect with nature. But apparently, the universe has decided otherwise and maybe it's not the worst thing after all.Written for the Earth VS Space Geminids Shower Exchange for the lovely @accio-the-force and the prompt Snowed In (that I tried to mix with the other prompt : Space related Meet Cute)Beta'd by the wonderful @LibbyWeasley who made my words better as always :)
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Comments: 22
Kudos: 66





	There Was Only One...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [accio-the-force (XOLove47)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/XOLove47/gifts).



Jemma groaned as she picked up the heavy bag and secured the strap on her shoulder before slamming the car door with her foot. Making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she started on the gravel footpath leading to her cabin. 

As expected, the door was unlocked and the key hung above the little bench at the entrance. It had been too long since Jemma had moved to London and she wasn't used to people being so trusting anymore. But that was the whole point of renting a cabin by a lake in the middle of nowhere, to take a break from her everyday life. Well that, and the Geminid shower of course. 

She walked into the main room of the cabin and gently put down her bag on the rustic wooden table by the window, then the bag on her other shoulder and finally, she freed herself from her huge backpack before stretching her back. It had been a long drive from London to the Lake District but Jemma could already tell it would be worth it. Looking around, she let out a satisfied sigh. The place smelled of wood and potpourri and the hardwood floor creaked under her feet. There was also a big comfy looking couch with more plaid cushions she could ever need and a lovely little fireplace, already stocked with firewood. If the bathtub and big bed were just as inviting as they looked in the pictures, she was in for a wonderful weekend.

She'd been planning the rest of her day during the whole drive up here. She was going to take a long bath, catch up on her book, maybe take a small nap and then go for a walk before dark and finally, around midnight, she could take her telescope and settle by the lake. With only one other cabin close by, there was no light pollution and it would be a perfect spot to watch the stars and catch the Geminid shower.

Perfect. Her weekend could not have been made any better. Certainly not by a man, especially one like Milton. 

Jemma huffed. Just thinking about him made her eyes roll to the back of her head. She still couldn't believe the nerves. Breaking up with her and then still offering to come along since they'd been planning this for weeks and it was "dangerous for a woman alone in the woods". Honestly, she'd rather spend the weekend with a bear. Not that there were any in these woods. The biggest predators living around here were foxes. And she was a biochemist, she'd survive much longer than him in the woods. She didn't even need him to carry her bags. She could do that all on her own. In one trip nonetheless.

Anyway, she'd already spent too much time thinking about her stupid ex. This weekend was about herself. Taking her coat and shoes off to leave them by the door, Jemma set out to explore the rest of the cabin.

* * *

Her small nap turned into a very long one and, from what little she could see through the closed curtains when she emerged from under the covers, it was already dark out. But that was alright, she still had the next day to go and explore the forest by daylight and, in the meantime, the Geminids were waiting for her. She shuffled towards the kitchen, grabbing her big sweater on the way. The fire had almost died down so she added a log in the hearth. The Geminid shower wouldn't peak until later in the night, so she still had more than enough time to make dinner and get ready. Filling the kettle, she put it on the stove and prepared a teapot with the strong black tea she'd bought. She would need that to make it through the night. 

As she waited for the water to boil, she went to sit at the small table by the window to see if she could already catch the first meteors through the top of the tall trees surrounding the cabin, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw as she pulled the curtains.

"What the…" she whispered under her breath. 

There were no tall trees, no inky black sky dotted with stars and certainly no meteor shower. The only visible thing at the moment were the heavy snowflakes steadily joining the ones that had already accumulated in an impressively thick layer over the ground, trees and her little rental car at the end of the footpath. 

Oh, come on… It was certainly cold enough to snow these days but the sky had been almost cloudless when she'd closed the curtains for her nap. It was like the weather had waited for her to fall asleep to steadily ruin her weekend. Frowning, she stood up and marched to the door. She was welcomed by a strong gust of wind and icy snowflakes rushing to her face. She quickly closed the door, bolting it for good measure, and rolled her eyes at herself. Honestly, what was she expecting? Defeated, she sat back, her head in her hands on the table, and looked outside. 

She sighed. It was rather beautiful like that though. Peaceful and quiet. And rather romantic, she had to admit. Not being able to watch the stars wouldn't be so bad if she had someone to cuddle with in front of the fire. Maybe they'd bring one of those fluffy blankets from the bedroom and make love bathed in the pretty orange glow in their little haven in the middle of the storm like in the movies. Maybe she should have…

No! Milton was an idiot. He couldn't understand how passionate she was about her job and just couldn't understand passion, period. He would have probably argued that the ground was too hard or that she was too loud and risked attracting predators or something. She should have listened to her instinct and not given him a second chance when his first kiss had been so... mild. Sex could take a little adjustment to become really nice but a first kiss had to be at least a little magical. 

Well, she supposed she still had a book and— "Ah!" she squeaked when the kettle started whistling and the lights suddenly went out. Her hand went to her chest as she willed her breathing to slow down. Everything was alright. It was an old cabin, it was probably just a faulty fuse and, being Jemma Simmons, she happened to have some in her emergency kit. Nothing to worry about and nothing to be afraid of. 

Digging through her backpack, she quickly found the flashlight she put in the front pocket and walked to the fuse box by the front door. Everything was neatly labelled and it quickly became clear that nothing was wrong with the fuses and the power was just out because of the snow. 

Jemma pondered her options. She could pack her bags and try to find a hotel, but she hadn't seen anything around for miles and that would mean having to be on the road in this blizzard. She could just phone the electric company but she'd have to walk up the road to get reception and she doubted they could do much at the moment. She sighed. Well, at least she had a fireplace to have a little light and heat. She could probably heat up some of the food she brought on the— 

There was a knock on the door and Jemma actually jumped backwards. Again, that was alright. Whoever that was, the door was locked. Of course, if it was an axe murderer, he would make short work of the thin wooden door. 

"Hello? Sorry to bother you, I'm your hu… well your temporary neighbor and I just wanted to check if everything was alright. Looks like the power's out for you too." 

Oh, that was nice. She hadn't even thought of checking on her potential neighbor. He didn't sound like an axe murderer. But then again, it was hard to sound dangerous with a Scottish accent. Which maybe was just what he wanted. Oh well… Ignoring all the untold rules taught to her by every horror movie she'd ever seen, Jemma unlocked the door, opened it and couldn't help the grin that pulled her lips up at the sight she was met with. Whoever the stranger was, he was obviously not prepared for such weather and had, instead, apparently put on every piece of clothes he had on top of one another. But even with all the extra layers, he wasn't very big, a little taller than she was and probably quite lean underneath it all. He was rather cute too, about her age, big eyes, soft features and a few curls escaping the big beanie on his head.

"Hi," she said, then taking another risk, stepped back to let him in. "Come in, don't let the heat escape." 

"Hi," he said, extending his hand, then thinking better of it and shaking off his mittens rather comically before offering his hand to shake. "I'm Fitz."

"Jemma," she replied with an amused smile. 

He really didn't feel dangerous and his hands were strong and surprisingly warm. 

"So hum… Power’s been cut for like fifteen minutes at my place so I was about to come and tell you it might happen to you too but well… Anyway, there's no reception in the area so I thought I'd let you know I called the electric company and they said it was unlikely the power would be back before some time tomorrow and also— Oh a telescope!" he cut himself off, walking past her to where she'd laid it out in the middle of the room. She would have found it a little ill-mannered of him not to wait for her to invite him further inside the cabin but she couldn't be cross with someone who so enthusiastic about science. "Did you plan on watching the Geminid shower by the lake?" he asked.

She smiled as she took a few steps closer and let out a wistful sigh.

"Yes, I did but I guess it's out of the question now, isn't it?" 

He chuckled as he took off his beanie, releasing an unruly mop of curls before running his hand through it, making it even worse.

"Yeah, my friend's been inviting me to stay at his cabin for a while and it was a last minute decision to come for the shower but I guess I should have checked the weather forecast..."

"I did," Jemma said, her tone more outraged than she meant it, but never let it be said that Jemma Simmons wasn't prepared. "And there wasn't supposed to be snow until Monday."

"Oh," he let out with a slightly amused smile Jemma didn't quite know what to make of except that it looked good on him.

"And how come _you_ have reception here?" Jemma asked, curiosity getting the best of her. 

"I brought a sat phone," Fitz said, taking out a surprisingly thin phone out of his pocket. 

"That's a lot of preparation for someone who didn't bother checking the weather forecast." 

He chuckled as he put it back in his pocket.

"I actually brought it to test it." Jemma raised her eyebrows in interest. "That's my first prototype and I thought it might be useful here."

"So you're—"

"An engineer, yeah." 

"Oh, that's nice." 

"Is it?" Fitz asked with a funny little grimace. 

"Of course, it is," Jemma cried out, uncrossing her arms as she took a few steps closer. In what world wasn't engineering a fantastic job?

"Ah well, there's been a few interesting projects lately," he said, looking simultaneously down in modesty and towards the fire. It was at least the fourth time. 

"Do you want to get closer?" Jemma asked, nodding towards the inviting flames.

"Ah no, I'm fine-I--" Jemma raised her eyebrows. "Okay, just a few minutes if you don't mind. And then I'll be out of your hair." 

Taking out his scarf, and opening his coat, he sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment. He let out a small chuckle when he noticed Jemma looking at him and now that they were closer to the light, it gave Jemma the opportunity to notice how very blue and pretty his eyes were. 

"Sorry, it's just really nice. It was getting cold really quickly in my cabin."

"Oh. Don't you have wood for the fire?" 

"Oh no. I have plenty of wood. It's the hearth I'm lacking."

"Oh but I thought I saw a chimney on your—"

"Not a functioning one. My friend figured I could take care of it. I guess I shouldn't have given him the impression I could fix everything for him… Anyway, I thought I'd use the electric heating but..." 

Jemma bit her lip, wondering if she should play it safe and spend a nice, although slightly boring evening reading her book in front of the fire or, since everything was already not going as planned, if she should just go for it completely. The universe had apparently decided that she wouldn't be having the weekend she had carefully planned. Maybe she should take a little risk and seize her chance for... something new.

"Wanna stay for tea?" Jemma asked at the same time he said "Well, I'll leave you now," probably mistaking her silence for discomfort. 

"Ah no, I don't want to bother you any longer. Just wanted to check if everything was alright and—"

"Which was very sweet of you. And I happen to have more tea than I could drink right now." Which was why she'd brought a thermos but he didn't need to know that. 

"Okay then. But give me five minutes," he said, looking extra enthusiastic as he zipped up his coat and put the beanie back on his head. "I have something you're going to like. To make up for your ruined evening." 

He squeezed her arm excitedly then didn't wait for her answer as he bolted towards the door and left the cabin. After six months, Milton still needed to ask where she'd like to eat for her birthday and this man she met five minutes ago could already tell what she'd like? Tonight was getting interesting.

* * *

"Oh, Fitz, that's wonderful," Jemma exclaimed, glancing sideways at him before looking back up at the ceiling. They both had their heads tilted back on the back of the couch, looking at the show Fitz had improvised for them. The ceiling and walls were all covered in stars, the quasi stillness only disturbed every time a meteor crossed the sky. 

"So you design both high tech sat phones and high tech... star projectors? Where do you work and are they hiring?"

Jemma saw his lips pull up into a cute happy smile in the corner of her field of vision. 

"Ah no, the star projector I only did for my friend's daughter who doesn't have many opportunities to see the stars in London." 

Awww. And he said it like it was nothing. That was adorable.

"I was working on it this morning and brought it by mistake," he added, chuckling as he turned to look at her with a crooked grin. "It's like the universe knew we'd need something to keep ourselves busy tonight."

The light from the fireplace was bathing his face in a warm glow that highlighted the nice lines of his face —and some red in his stubble— and Jemma felt a little thrill course through her body. She could certainly think of a few other things to keep one another busy in this lovely, romantic cabin while caught in a blizzard. 

"Here, try this now," he said, taking a pair of glasses with thick black frames out of his bag. Jemma frowned.

"Actually, my eyesight is close to perfection so I don't think—"

"I'm sure it is but—" Unfolding them, he shifted in his seat until he was looking down at her, then delicately placed the glasses over her eyes before adjusting them on her ears. His fingers grazing her skin sent a little zing up her spine. Jemma could have, maybe, convinced herself it was because his hands were just nicely warm but that didn't explain the way her heart skipped a beat.

"Now, look up," he said, and her eyes locked on his, still wonderfully blue even in the dim lighting. "Into the stars," he specified with a little smirk and she, reluctantly, looked away, grateful for the darkness hiding her blush.

"Oh wow!" 

Everywhere she looked, the names and types of object she was looking at appeared in front of her eyes. It was such a perfect idea and a perfect way to learn about the cosmos. Even she saw objects she wouldn't have recognized on her own. 

"This I meant to test on actual stars but this is still better than nothing, yeah?"

"It's fantastic Fitz! And you were right, it does make up for the missed Geminid shower."

"Ah no, that's... Well, I'm glad you like it. But enough about me. You know, my company is actually hiring. Were you serious when you asked? What's your field? Because I could probably get you—"

"I'm a biochemist." 

"Oh," he said, his face falling for a second before it lit up again. "My company doesn't hire biochemists but we often consult. We might need your help someday depending on your field of research." 

"I'm actually working on a new type of dendrotoxin. We're in the first testing phase but it's been very promising until now. You see, it's a compound that creates quasi instantaneous paralysis and unconsciousness. It would be really useful when dealing with dangerous people or animals without having to use lethal force, it's really quite..." Jemma trailed off, realizing Fitz hadn't actually asked about it and she'd been often told —by Milton mostly— that she could be a bit too enthusiastic about things, especially when they knocked people out. "But I won't bother you with the details. I know it's not quite as spectacular as what you—"

"What? Are you crazy? That sounds pretty revolutionary to me! Of course, I want to know more." 

Jemma raised a questioning eyebrow and he nodded enthusiastically, turning more fully towards her like a young child waiting to hear a new exciting story. Something fluttered inside Jemma's belly. 

"Well, it all started when I saw that documentary about the Amazon..."

* * *

"You know, I would have loved to work on that delivery mechanism. Your work is so brilliant, I can only imagine how we could improve my drone with your input..."

"You know, that's not the kind of pillow talk I'm used to but okay," Jemma said teasingly although she was grinning widely at how dreamily he'd said those things about her work. She could certainly get used to that. 

He huffed and bumped her shoulder lightly. She turned slightly towards him, smiling softly to make it clear that she was only teasing and in fact really appreciated his words. Probably more than he could imagine, in fact. It was strange how comfortable she felt being in bed with a man she had only met a few hours ago. After talking about her project for a while and letting the conversation stray to various topics, they had started getting sleepy and gradually colder. It was easily decided that Fitz would stay here for the night. If it was getting cold here with the fire, his cabin must be freezing. Fitz insisted on taking the couch but Jemma wasn't going to sleep in the bedroom anyway since there was no fireplace there and, after debating on the best solution for several minutes, they had decided to move the mattress into the living room in front of the fire. They would sleep there together and take advantage of each other's warmth.

With the layers of clothes they kept, it didn't feel all that intimate anyway but it was still… nice. The heat and warm light from the fire combined with Fitz's body heat and his subtle scent made Jemma confident that she would sleep really well, if they ever managed to stop talking. 

"I'm serious Jemma, you know, but also, really?! You never talked science in bed? Never dated a scientist?" he insisted and continued before Jemma could answer. His brain seemed to work a hundred miles a minute, even now, and she couldn't blame him. She was the same. "That sounds unlikely considering how long you must have spent getting your PhDs and then getting so many responsibilities so young at SHIELD Tech. Couldn't have had much time to meet people outside of the world of—"

"Oh no, I did date a scientist," she cut him off. She actually dated a few but one especially came to mind. "But science was just work to him and he didn't want to bring it home."

"Ugh! What an idiot!" Fitz let out and Jemma laughed at how sincere and heartfelt that sounded. "I mean sorry, I don't know him but that sounds—"

"Oh no, you're right! He was a complete idiot. Last I checked, he still was."

"Ah, yes," Fitz said chuckling nervously. "I mean if I was-if I was with hum…well, I wouldn't stop asking questions about your work." 

He didn't quite look at her when he said that and Jemma found it adorable.

"Well, ask away," she said, settling fully on her side to look at him. 

"Right, yeah…" She could feel him squirming a little bit under the covers —it wasn't easy getting comfortable with so many clothes on— until he managed to turn around slightly towards her. "So hum, the idiot, he is the reason why you're renting the lovebird cottage alone?" 

"Hey!" she cried out, feeling annoyed and disappointed even though he wasn't really wrong. "So a woman can’t choose to be on her own? It just has to be because she doesn't have a boyfriend to bring along. Is that what—"

"No, no, no, no, no," he cut her off, his eyes widening in panic. "I'm sorry—I didn't mean… That was just my, obviously very clumsy attempt at asking if you were single."

"Oh…" 

"In which case I would have asked if, maybe, you'd like to go out sometime. With me, I mean. Someplace nice. Preferably with some form of heating." 

Jemma bit her lip not to smile too wide. He was rather adorable and she wondered how many more details about their potential date he'd give her if she didn't give him an answer really soon. But he was kind of taking her by surprise. Well, not completely. They had a lot in common and they seemed to click. Plus he had pretty blue eyes you could get lost in. But she just hadn't expected to meet someone, especially someone like him, in the middle of nowhere. The breakup was still fresh and she wasn't sure it was such a good idea to jump back into dating so soon. She had a feeling Fitz wouldn't be a rebound kind of guy. Either it'd be the real thing or he'd break her heart. But in the meantime, it seemed like the universe was hellbent on them meeting. Not that she believed in signs or whatever but still, with the unexpected snow, the power outage… Maybe she should just go with the flow and see what happened…

"Ah don't worry about it, it was just-- I thought we…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He must have picked up on her hesitation although he visibly didn't understand the reasons. "Do you want me to leave? Or I can just sleep on the couch. You've been so nice to me and I—"

She interrupted him with her lips on his and her hand on his cheek. He gasped in surprise, staying completely still for a few seconds and she just had the time to taste the chocolate on his lips before she pulled back. How disappointing. He was so cute and looked so passionate about his work, she thought it would translate in his kiss but…

"Jemma?"

"Sorry, it's just this theory I have that a first kiss is very revealing of potential compatibility. I thought I'd save us both some time and see if we had a chance before we waste our time giving this..." 

Jemma trailed off when Fitz gently cradled her cheek as he moved a little closer. He closed the gap between them again and his hand slid behind her neck as his lips glided against hers softly but with no hesitation. This one didn't only taste of chocolate. There was sweetness in his kiss and the way his fingers fluttered and tightened on the sensitive skin of her neck made her skin all tingly and— He parted her lips slightly, capturing her bottom lip between his and a little whimper escaped her. She gripped his bicep, wishing there weren't so many layers of clothes after all, and melted into it. After a moment that seemed way too short, he pulled back, waiting with a very pleased smile for her to open her eyes. With her panting breath and hand still holding him close, there was no use hiding the effect he had on her.

"You took me by surprise, that's the one I want you to take into consideration." Jemma laughed. "You know, that and the fact that we have a lot in common and bonded as we survived a blizzard together. Not to mention that I'm willing to overlook the fact that you're kind of a weirdo who goes out and kisses strange men in--"

She pecked his lips to stop him. 

"Fitz, I'd love to go on a date with you!"

"Oh...okay then. Great. So hum..." 

He seemed to hesitate. He couldn't be having second thoughts so soon, could he? 

"What is it, Fitz?"

"We haven't been on a date yet but we kissed once. And we're in a bed together. How should... What do you..." 

Jemma bit her lip. This mix of confidence and shyness was intriguing and quite adorable. He better be as good as he looked because he had the potential of being so much. 

"We watched the stars and had dinner and a lovely conversation in front of the fireplace. One would argue we already had a date."

"Oh… Then I guess it's acceptable to ask you to sleep with me then?" he said, grinning. 

"I thought you'd never ask!"

She moved closer and he opened his arms for her, gently pulling her closer once she was she settled with her head on his chest. She sighed as his body heat warmed her body, slowly matching the warmth that had settled in her heart. 

Outside, the wind picked up and snow started falling even faster, while inside, the fire crackled steadily as Fitz's breathing deepened. Jemma snuggled even closer and closed her eyes. Turned out her weekend had been made better by a man but she couldn't be mad about that. Looked like the universe had done a good job on this one.


End file.
